


Hope the Sun

by Red_Tigress



Category: Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Drabbles, Episode Tag, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, slight retelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Tigress/pseuds/Red_Tigress
Summary: A place to put some short episode tags and character studies for characters from Picard.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings from the Quarantine! In an effort to create, I thought I'd be more aggressive of putting some short pieces up in an effort to keep pace with various things I'm watching. Chapter notes at the begining. These may be a little rougher than my usual pieces. Stay safe out there (or in there!)

Raffi pulled one knee slowly up to her chin, exhaling the smoke slowly from her mouth as her jaw jutted forward. Her half-lidded eyes regarded him coolly as he reviewed their trajectory for what seemed like the thirtieth time that day. He had already dismissed the navigation hologram, and she was beginning to miss his cheery attitude.

“You know, I’d absolutely _hate_ it if I talked to only myself all day.”

He gave her a quick sideways glance, but said nothing for a moment as he continued to review the holo in front of him.

“You _did_ talk to yourself all day,” he said after a few minutes of silence.

“Mm,” she paused to inhale, then blew out slowly. “Living by yourself is not the same as having to interact with pieces of…yourself. Why don’t you change them?”

“Too lazy,” he mumbled, still not looking at her directly.

She gave another non-committal murmur. “You must either really love yourself…” he snorted. “…or really hate yourself.”

Rios sighed heavily and sank down further in his chair. “ _Mierda_ , can you stop?” He glared at her. “If you want to get high, I can send the EMH your way and he’d be happy to look after you.”

She pouted. “Don’t send me away Cris. I just want to talk.” She could see he was fighting with himself to actually send her away, or trying to be supportive. Sometimes being unstable had its benefits.

“Raffi, _por favor_ ,” he mumbled as he stood up to take the bottle out of her other hand. She clutched it harder and tried to pull it back to herself.

“I just don’t understand, Cris. There is a conscious effort you had to put in them, to keep them around so you can berate them and they can berate you, over and over-”

“ _PORQUE LOS ODIO, OKAY?”_ he shouted, suddenly, eyes so wild and voice so raw it made her push back into her seat. He swallowed thickly, breathing hard, and ran a hand through his hair as he turned away. “I just…hate them,” he finished quietly. “Every time I see them it’s a reminder, of how… _disgusting_ I am, how I’m a coward. I can hate them and it’s what they deserve. What…it’s what _I_ deserve.”

Raffi froze, and then reached for him, but he was already walking away. “Honey, wait,”

“No, don’t…just don’t…no honey. Not this time. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” He turned back towards her and ran his hair through his hair again. “Do you need help getting to bed?” he asked changing the subject.

She was still too shocked at his outburst to prod. “No, thank you, I’ll manage.” He gave her a half-hearted wave, unable to meet her eyes, and walked briskly off to his quarters.

She sighed heavily, watching him go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda alternative beginning to episode 9. They should have all at least gotten a few knocks in when their ship crashes.

The world was quiet around him. It was unusual, considering he was used to the constant thrum and whirring that served as constant white noise on _La Sirena_. As he began to think more about why it was quiet, a dullness in his head sharpened into a vicelike grip around his temples. He moaned.

“Rios?”

He groaned, and sat up. He was still in his chair, and he could feel the harnass where it snaked around his torso. It had held him in place during-

“ _Ah, MIERDA!”_ he cursed, undoing the straps.

He stumbled slightly out of the chair, the floor off-kilter. His vision swam slightly, and he put one hand back on his chair to steady himself. It was dark, but there was some natural daylight filtering in through the blast shutters.

A hand reached out and brushed against his shoulder. It sent a wisp of pain racing down his arm. He hissed and pulled away.

“Cris, are you hurt?” Raffi’s voice asked quietly. Her outline was beginning to take form as he blinked, getting used to the darkness around him. Soft emergency lights shone on the floor, and he hadn’t noticed them at first.

“No,” he lied. He could feel the bounding in his head, his torso felt very bruised, and there was something weird going on with his arm but he could still move it so he didn’t consider that life threatening. “Are you? Everyone else?”

“I’m alright,” Soji’s tired voice sounded from the darkness.

“I took a bump on the head, but I don’t have any symptoms of a concussion,” Raffi said. “It’s gonna leave a bruise though.” He could hear the smile in her voice.

“I’m…alright,” Agnes’ voice sounded through the darkness, although it trembled with some fear.

Raffi was already going to check on Picard, so Rios gingerly moved over to Agnes.

“Are you sure?” he asked quietly. His voice was slightly raspy. He could see the edges of her face now, highlighted by the sunlight leaking in.

She nodded vigorously, and her fingers began to fumble at her harness. “Yes….yes. Yes, I’m alright.” Her voice was still shaking, and he leaned down to help her look for the latch. His fingers touched it, and she gripped his forearm in fear, sending a sharp, agonizing pain up and down his arm and into what felt like all the nerve endings in his torso. He bit back a cry of pain and it came out as a muffled groan instead. “Oh my god, Cris, I’m so sorry, Cris, what-”

“Picard is hurt,” Raffi’s worried voice sounded from across the bridge. “Cris, get over here!”

“Cris is-” Agnes started to call back but he interrupted her with a glare.

“Still working on this harness,” he grit out, voice breathy.

“I can help,” Soji piped up, and a moment later he could hear her and Raffi communicating about how to best move the Admiral.

Agnes’ fingers were running along his and found the latch to release her harness. She hurriedly got out of it and got to her feet. She maneuvered in front of Rios and gently settled her hands on his ribs. Her hands were steady against them, even though she had been trembling a moment before and he could still see the fear in her eyes.

“You’re hurt,” she said quietly. Her eyes were wide, and she maneuvered him into the chair she had just vacated. As he sat, something twinged inside oh him painfully and he winced. “Please,” Agnes begged, and he opened his eyes not realizing he had closed them. “Tell me where you’re hurt.”

He sighed. “Head…partial concussion, maybe. And…something’s wrong with my arm,” he whispered.

“Okay, okay…that’s totally treatable,” she whispered to herself. “Is there anything else?”

“ _Pienso…no,”_ he said, finding it hard to think. He shut his eyes again and leaned back.

“No, no, no, Rios, please stay awake!” Hands touched his face, making his eyes snap open even though they were gentle. “I’m going to go check on Picard, but then I’ll be right back, okay? Jeez, I wish the EMH was working,” she mumbled.

“I…don’t,” he whispered, but Agnes was already running down to the sick bay.

He drifted for a while, the pain fading slightly to the background as his eyes shut again.

When he opened his eyes again, Jana was there. Jana? No wait…

“Captain,” Soji leaned down and put her hand on his face. He flinched slightly, and she drew back.

“ _Lo siento,”_ he whispered.

“It’s fine,” she said quietly back. “You’re confused. A head injury will do that.” She gave him a small smile, before it quickly turned back into a frown. She pulled his hair back, and he did a good job of not flinching this time. She brought a piece of gauze up to his forehead and placed it against his skin. He hissed and closed his eyes. “I know I make you uncomfortable. It can’t be easy, seeing me. Given…what happened.”

He looked up at her, could see the conflict warring on her face. Her whole world had turned upside down in a matter of hours. That she was holding up at all was a miracle.

“Can you hold out your arm?” she asked. He only then realized he’d been holding his forearm close to his belly. He reached out, pain ghosting up and down his arm as he did so. Soji took something black off the floor and gently clicked it around his arm. He inhaled as it settled into place, but then the printed cast settled around his forearm and wrist. “Don’t take that off. I ran a tricorder over your arm and you have a fracture. You’ll be fine eventually. Between that and the concussion…and some bruising.”

“ _Pues…_ for now,” he said. “If your people like us.”

She smiled. “I think they will.” She held out a hand he took it but she still had to do most of the work pulling him up. “I like you.”

He looked at her again, taking in her appearance, her lack of animosity, and…for the first time he thought of her as Soji and not _Jana_. Maybe…there was hope, after all. 


End file.
